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redemption at his inability to control any portion of his household, Seth caught his new employee’s elbow and steered her toward the door. “We’ll discuss this in my office.”
    To his surprise, she jerked her arm from his grasp and stalked out the door ahead of him. “We will discuss this on the front steps while we wait for my ride, which you will summon now,” she informed him coldly.
    He didn’t deal with women much anymore. Natalie had effectively killed any illusions he’d once possessed about the female gender. But he’d never lacked confidence in the effect his looks and wealth had on women. He didn’t expect this female to fawn all over him immediately, but a respectful “Yes, sir; no, sir,” accompanied by a lingering smile would have sufficed. That’s why he endured the battle-ax, MacGregor. Sixty and carved from granite, she couldn’t flirt if she tried. But this leprechaun...
    It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t suit. He couldn’t have an appealing female prancing around the house day and night. Even if Chad wouldn’t throw a tantrum every time she crossed the threshold, Seth didn’t have the patience for withstanding temptation of this sort. He definitely didn’t need one more uncontrollable force in his life.
    Sometimes, Seth believed this monstrous fortress of his childhood was built to keep the inmates in, instead of keeping the world out.
    He followed her past the hall leading to his office and out the front door before pulling his thoughts up short. This particular female didn’t want to stay. She’d laughed in his face and walked out the door without a single backward look. And she’d shut Chad up within minutes, instead of the usual hours. Furthermore, he had absolutely nobody to fill MacGregor’s shoes.
    The possibility of enduring the anarchy he’d just suffered for weeks, maybe months, drove Seth to run after her.
    â€œWe got off on the wrong foot,” Seth apologized as he nearly fell over her in his haste. He grabbed the post and regained his balance while searching for the best means of intimidating her.
    Scanning the magnificent view from the porch, Pippa paid her host little heed. The isolation out here appealed strongly to her need for escape. The locked gate at the bottom of the drive offered badly needed security. This fortress would be protection beyond her wildest dreams. She liked this place. The towering cliff she had seen beyond the balcony appealed to her sense of the dramatic. She could push Billy off it if she liked.
    â€œI’m certain we can come to terms, Miss Cochran,” the terrifying man beside her said. “I’ll send my regular driver in for you every day. If you can give me eight hours a day, I might survive. I’m prepared to pay you well.”
    He certainly would if her job entailed taming that spoiled wildcat inside. The kid would have been a stubborn handful if healthy. Caged by his useless legs, the child had become a volcano of raw energy ready to explode at any excuse. She didn’t relish finding an outlet for that energy. And she didn’t relish working for a man who bullied his employees.
    â€œWe discussed a thousand a week,” she replied absently, still debating the wisdom of this move. Actually, they’d discussed nothing of the sort. His original offer had been considerably lower. That had been before the maniac driver and volcanic kid.
    â€œOf course, but I’ll need you seven days a week,” he countered.
    â€œEven God took a day off.” Shocked by his easy acceptance of her outrageous proposal, Pippa turned to him with a wry look. The expression on those dark, brooding features should terrify her. She couldn’t find an ounce of kindness in the grim set of his mouth, or compassion in the forbidding stance of muscular arms crossed over powerful chest. He’d grabbed her arm and tried physically hauling her around.